Favorite Tallow-Based Soap - 2023

[Feldgrun]

With so many former tallow-based soaps now gone vegan, or out of business, I have a couple of questions:

1) What's your favorite tallow-based soap in 2023

2) Is this your favorite soap, and if not, how does it compare to your favorite(s)?

 

[Guido75]

I have several tallow based favourites but MWF the most. Areffa is a very close second together with Mike’s Natural Barbershop.

It might be my favourite soap overall but I think that spot currently goes to Proraso Green.

Guido

 

[Steve56]

Stirling, MWF, and Arko are about it except for smaller artisan makers where supply is hit or miss. Stirling and MWF both have lanolin in them if that makes a difference.

My favorites are non-tallow, ABC hard soap, early and late versions and Pre de Provence (harder soaps), Santa Maria Novella (will become a croap pretty quickly), Martin de Candre, Acqua di Parma (cream). I’ve been reaching for one of these 95% of the time. The new Barba Sana by Furbo is a fantastic performer (Bullgoose) but I’m not crazy about the scents.

I don’t find that tallow really adds anything vs the non-tallow soaps mentioned above. In discontinued soaps, Valobra was an excellent tallow soap, but the non-tallow I Coloniali Mango Oil soap was as good and slicker with better post shave feel. It would seem to come down to the skill of the maker, not whether ti soap has tallow in it or not.

 

[luvmysuper]

It would seem to come down to the skill of the maker, not whether the soap has tallow in it or not.

I agree with this.
There are some great non-tallow soaps and there are some garbage tallow based ones.
If it's a good soap, it's a good soap and if it's garbage - it's garbage no matter what is in it.
Though my personal experience has been that a maker who had a great tallow soap and who later switched to a non-tallow version usually winds up with a sub-par soap. I give you Tabac as a prime example.
It's not that tallow was the deciding factor, it's that there are enough differences in the reformulation that the new version fails to live up to the performance of the old formulation.

Word to the wise to soap makers out there:
If you have a great tallow soap that you're going to reformulate to a non-tallow version, don't roll it out till it's as good as the one it's replacing.
If you have a terrible tallow soap that you're going to reformulate to a non-tallow version, go ahead, what have you got to lose?

 

[Steve56]

I give you Tabac as a prime example.

This may or may not be true for everyone, but it is true that the new Tabac’s lather is different, feels different, and the scent is slightly different. If you want the old formula Tabac’s creamy lather, the new version is less creamy but slicker.

But removing tallow is not the reason IMHO, Tabac also removed the coconut oil, which is noted for giving a thick, creamy lather. ABC did the same thing with their hard soaps, the new version is sans coconut oil and doesn’t have as creamy of a lather as v1. I’m going on memory from the two Tabac and ABC ingredient versions that I have, so feel free to check my thoughts. IOW, it isn’t the tallow that made the old Tabac and ABC lather so nicely (unctuous is the specific word the French would use), it’s the coconut oil. Grab a sample of Martin de Candre - a pure coconut oil soap - and you’ll get lather similar to the old Tabac or old ABC.

 

[luvmysuper]

This may or may not be true for everyone, but it is true that the new Tabac’s lather is different, feels different, and the scent is slightly different. If you want the old formula Tabac’s creamy lather, the new version is less creamy but slicker.

But removing tallow is not the reason IMHO, Tabac also removed the coconut oil, which is noted for giving a thick, creamy lather. ABC did the same thing with their hard soaps, the new version is sans coconut oil and doesn’t have as creamy of a lather as v1. I’m going on memory from the two Tabac and ABC ingredient versions that I have, so feel free to check my thoughts. IOW, it isn’t the tallow that made the old Tabac and ABC lather so nicely (unctuous is the specific word the French would use), it’s the coconut oil. Grab a sample of Martin de Candre - a pure coconut oil soap - and you’ll get lather similar to the old Tabac or old ABC.

Yep!

It's not that tallow was the deciding factor, it's that there are enough differences in the reformulation that the new version fails to live up to the performance of the old formulation.

Word to the wise to soap makers out there:
If you have a great tallow soap that you're going to reformulate to a non-tallow version, don't roll it out till it's as good as the one it's replacing.

 

[JCarr]

Mike's Natural
Stirling
Noble Otter
Murphy and McNeil
Chiseled Face

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I've been enjoying Mike's.

Vegan soaps can be top drawer. Tallow soaps can, too.






Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[bonbon]

My favorites:
1) Areffa artisan soap/afershaves (they have nice samples that's better to try first as they are so different. I personally have a few favorites and several 100% non-go once I tried samples). But they are must tries

main page

artisan shaving cosmetics online store

areffasoap.com

2) Dr. Harris.

main page

artisan shaving cosmetics online store

areffasoap.com

 

[silverlifter]

Stirling Varen and Shannon's Barbershop are my only favorite tallow soaps. All of my other soaps are non tallow and are just as good, if not better: Speick, Saponificio Varesino, Martin de Candre.

 

[Sam Hanwich]

There is something special about MWF and it amazes me just how good it is compared to the newer, fancier, more expensive soaps.

 

[Benoni]

Lothur grooming v2

 

[Marco]

No tallow at all for me. My top soaps? Saponificio Varesino, La Toja and Pre de Provence.

 

[panagosg]

σαπούνι macduffs

 

[Steve56]

Forgot to add that D.R. Harris’ current formula is tallow.

 

[CoreyWoodmancy]

Favorite tallow is Tallow & Steel , favorite soap changes daily but T&S is the top performer. A lot of my favorite soap comes with the scent I’m into at the time , they all perform perfectly.

 

[BigJ]

MWF and (‘old tallow’) Haslingers for me.

 

[Trollky]

It would have to be Stirling for me.

 

[Bosh Hog]

MWF. Hard to beat quality + price wise.

 

[BradWorld]

I believe Barrister and Mann Omnibus is a tallow soap base. And that’s my favorite soap ever.